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Tiamat Hostilities
The was the opening salvo of an escalating proxy war conducted by the growing Confederacy of Former Covenant States against any non-aligned state or entity, with the aim of cementing their power on the Frontier. In an entirely one-sided conflict, the allied forces from the Jiralhanae Kingdoms, and the Union, steam rolled themselves through the rough alliance of human states called the Coalition Bloc. By the end of the campaign, the Bloc ceased to be, with every state either being conquered, seceded, or switched sides. Background The Frontier had a long history of being a difficult place to settle.Serving as a nexus between human space, and former Covenant territory, any attempts to settle it always met with resistance, usually in the form of slavers, pirates, and other raiders. In the past, aside from Covenant Remnant attacks, there was never any organised conflict, just random raids. In order to better secure themselves, several break away governments in the Frontier formed a single power Bloc, the Coalition Bloc, in order to have mutual defence and protection. For a time, that worked, allowing them to flourish and grow. However, the desire to keep themselves out of UNSC affairs distanced them from the larger, better equipped Frontier Coalition, a UNSC sponsored buffer state. After Demiurge influence in the Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar civil wars, both factions saw one another as allies, and eager to curb human expansion. Overlord Marius had secretly provided arms and armaments to a number of Kingdoms of the periphery of his domain, with the objective to take these sectors. In exchange, they give a tithe of their haul. Likewise, Arku K'hban, a high ranking official in Dekd Nok's new Union, had egged on several pirate captains to offer out their services to the Jiralhanae, and used it as a means of bringing the state military in, with the intent of seizing several colonies he viewed as Kig-Yar owned. Participants Coalition Bloc The Minas State was a planetary colony in the Minas star system, and the newest member of the Bloc. Primarily an argricultural colony, Minas had a standing military of 1000 militia men, with only technical armour, and three patrol vessels. Struck down as the first target, Minas fell in just over three days. The Tiamat Colonial Government was part of the outer Bloc, and important as their outer bulwark. The war became known after the fierce battle over Tiamat, and it served as an example of how much of the war would would. Based in the outer spiral of the Bloc, the Nieuwe Batavia Commonwealth represented the main shield of the Bloc, with three worlds, a standing force of around 4000 militia, and 19 warships, covering a territory of three planets. The Commonwealth military was largely destroyed, and only served to blunt the assault. Robyn's World was considered the first major outpost hit, and the site of the Bloc’s first, and only major military engagement. Robyn’s World has a number of large population centre, and some industrial capability that made it important as a forward staging area. The Walthertown Federation was an important member of the Bloc, specialising in the manufacturing and sale of electronic goods vital to the creation and maintenance of colonies. These electronics industry was leveraged into the creation of a sophisticated planetary defence system. This ultimately failed in battle. The Shanxi Republic was an important coalition of worlds with large populations, and sophisticated industrial and agrarian centres. Shanxi represented a significant target, with a large militia force and several defensive stations, making it a difficult target. The Shanxi Republic was instead isolated and besieged in a pocket, before it was attacked. One half of the two republics that made the Veles System their home, the Outer Veles Polity had previously battled the Veles People’s State for their independence. Their six month war of independence ended with the Coalition Bloc mediating an end to the war, and both joining the Bloc. During the war, while the Veles People’s State fell, the asteroids and planetoids of the Polity waged a brutal guerilla war, using their knowledge of the asteroid belts they called home, and hidden installations built deep into the rock. Their guerilla campaign lasted, even after the rest of the Bloc fell. The inner Veles System was controlled by the Veles People's State. An insular and highly socialist state, they had previously waged a war against the secessionist Outer Veles Polity. With strained relations to the rest of the Bloc, they rejected to support the other members, and declined support themselves. During the fierce ground campaign, the die-hards of the People’s State took to using improvised nuclear weapons to defend their home, at great cost. Located close to the Blocs core, the Abraxes Alliance held several worlds, most of which had little industry or manufacturing capability, instead being rich in natural fuels, which were mined and refined in a limited manner to preserve the natural heritage of their worlds. Rather than risk a drawn out war, they surrendered, hoping to be vassalized like Arrandale was. This was not to be the case, and after surrender they were turned into a thrall world and enslaved to work on massive refineries and fuelling stations. Located at the galactic south of the Bloc, the Hibernia United Colonies was a system with several colonised worlds and systems. When the fall of the Bloc looked inevitable, the United Colonies withdrew their forces and formally left the Bloc, even as the Jiralhanae forces began landing on Lusitania. They signed up to joint the Frontier Coalition, though this served as a stay of execution as they would be at the forefront of the invasion during the Revenant War. The de facto capital of the Coalition Bloc, the Lusitania Republic was a collection of four colonies, and had a standing military of 70 warships, and 11,000 soldiers. An industrial planet, they built and exported goods across the whole sector. With a sophisticated military, defences, and time to dig in, the Lusitania Republic represented the most well defended target. They were also flush with refugees and survivors of the Bloc’s outer military. Close to the outward spiral of the Bloc, Arrandale Free Traders was directly in the path of Union attacks. Rather than risk a risky battle, they instead sat at the negotiating table. The Free Traders were vassalized, and devoted their economic powers to the Union, allowing them to aid them with their financial institutions and supplies. They would later become involved in the slave trade coming in and out of the Bloc. The Navak Compact was a Kig-Yar colony cautiously accepted into the Bloc. With the Bloc, they were able to bring considerable merchantile experience and supply routes. It was Compact Traders that got goods from one planet to another. After suffering initial setbacks in the campaign, losing six of their seventeen escorts trying to protect their Traders, they instead capitulated and secretly negotiated the Union. Their sudden abandonment of the Bloc opened up a window into their inner territory, and isolated the Shanxi Republic. Created by an alliance of human and Kig-Yar Traders, the Returik Trader Coalition was built mostly for the purpose of trade, being able to trade with anybody. This lead to some tense terms with the Bloc, especially when they attempted to open trade up to the slave markets. Faced with impeding disaster, rather than racist, elements of the government sympathetic to the Union stated a coup d’etat and took control of the government and defence force, and immediately defected to the Union forces. Jiralhanae Kingdoms Leading the campagin were the Charnubal Reach, self styled overlords and conquerors. They had earned the favour of Marius by supporting him during the War of Kings, and was responsible for securing much of the outer Kingdoms in his name. They were armed and equipped by Overlord Marius, and directed to attack the Bloc in concert with the Union. While possessing a large army, the Charnubal Reach had good equipment, and well drilled warriors, creating a small but professional fighting force, that was heavily reliant on vassal forces. The Atraxan Suns were chief among the vassals of the Charnubal Reach, being the only one with any permanent residence. Possessing a fleet mostly compromised of escorts, and an army of poorly equipped slaves, the Atraxan Suns were largely used to reinforce and secure the flanks of any Reach attack. The Suns were opposed to the Reach on the grounds of being devoted to the Covenant, and having lost to them in war, but were honour bound to serve them, and would not imagine to betray them. More vassals of the Charnubal Reach, the Arcix Reavers were pirates and brigands, and little better. Flying squadrons of fast escorts, their military was mostly raiders. They were mostly used to harry and harass enemy forces during mid to opening stages, but losses prevented them from straying far from their masters. Like sharks to the scent of blood, the Sabbatoth Marauders were drawn into the conflict. Initially, the Marauders did not yield to any command, despite being there at the behest of the Overlord. Following an fleet action, wherein three ships were damaged and captured. Set loose like a plague, the Marauders freely burned and pillaging. They served as front line reavers against the enemy. The Ash Lords were another vassal under the Charnubal Reach, though the nature of their relationship was less than agreeable. Their home world was captured and many of their people held captive by the Charnubal Reach, in exchange for their loyalty. They served loyally, and faithfully, suffering in a war that was not their own. By Wars end, the Charnubal had released their hostages, but still held a tight leash on the Ash Lord. Kig-Yar Union Hired by the Charnubal Reach and a not inconsiderable cost, Serpent Kin Clan were pirates, raiders, slavers, and assassins. They served the Charnubal Reach for a hefty sum of Gekz and a haul of the loot. They attacked in roving wolfpacks, hunting for the weak and vulnerable. They were also assigned to secretly gather information on their Jiralhanae paymasters and report it back to the Union. Spearheading the Union attack was the Twin Talon Clan. While not officially part of Union military, their experience in military operations, electronic warfare, and occupation lead to their hiring by the Union, with the intention of having their military learn from them. They providing advanced scouting and reinforcement to many major pushes. The Union devoted two direct military units to the campaign, with the 4th and 11th Talons. Both were relatively fresh units, with little experience aside from border patrols and anti-piracy missions (prior to Dekd Nok’s rule). Now they would be dedicated to attacking and occupying colonies, pigging them launching points for further offensives. Prelude The Coalition Bloc had been firm in maintaining its independence from colonial rule, both from the administrative rule of the UEG, and the military aide of the UNSC. In order to maintain their safety, they began to buy, and build, their own warships, both from mothballed UNSC stock, and from the Frontier League. However, the Bloc lacked the unity of the similar Frontier League, and lacked a central military, instead they had different forces from multiple republics. After the unification of the Jiralhanae Kingdoms under Overlord Marius, with support from the King-Yar Union, Marius remembered those that had served and aided him. Arku K'hban Had approached Marius with interest in this operation, intended to expand both their domains. They conducted several joint exercises, and developed a communication procedure for conducting missions alongside one another. With this, they were able to form a cohesive fighting force. Campaign Opening Attack The Invasion came suddenly, and without any warning. The combined forces of the Charnubal Reach hit Minas like a sledgehammer. Within hours the colonial navy fell, and the first landings started. Squadrons of landing vessels fell around the capital, the only major population centre. The initial attacks had destroyed their air defence network ,and with no aircraft of their own, the defenders quickly lost control of the skies. Moving to defensive positions around major administrative structures, they began defensive actions, attempting to hold various strong points through out the capital. With little care for restraint, the attacking forces usually flattened these structures. Within twelve hours of the first landing, the Capital government had been taken. Remaining militia forces scattered into the farms and wilderness that surrounded the capital. Few would amount to any major threat, and were ruthlessly hunted down and exterminated. Within three days, the battle of Minas had ended, with few casualties to the invaders. With almost no pause, they moved onto attacking Tiamat. The battle that defined the war, Tiamat was home to the Tiamat Colonial Government, and they had placed substantial funds into their defences. When the Charnubal forces arrived, they are met by defensive installations, minefields, and squadrons of frigates. The opening salvo of the battle succeeded in slowing the enemy, damaging a number of their mainline ships, and destroying some escorts. However, they ultimately failed to stop the main attack, and the Reach’s main cruiser squadron managed to penetrate their line and break through their orbital defences. The main landing began with a severe orbital bombardment, intended to soften up the enemy defences. Their landing was fast and brutal, taking as many casualties as they caused. However, the Tiamat Militia were no much for the raw ferocity of the Jiralhanae, and gradually they began to claim landing zones around the major population centres. With landing zones secured, they allowed follow up forces from the Arcix Reavers and Atraxan Suns pushed through the orbital defences, while the Ash Lords and Serpent Kin continued to sweep the orbital defences. The ground battle grew in intensity, as more and more Jiralhanae forces made landings, gradually taking major towns and cities street by street. While lacking armour, they were able to deploy anti-tank weapons, and improvised explosives to stall the advance, continuing to cause the enemy casualties. Gunship squadrons operated close to the surviving anti-air defences, keeping watch over militia defences. Their actions managed to delay the enemy for several days, buying them vital time to try and evacuate. However, the Sabbatoth Marauders, acting to their own whims, attack the evacuation zones, cutting off any route of escape. By the end of the week, the Jiralhanae had managing to overtake much of the colony, and scattered the remaining warships. With the last defences reaching breaking point, and scared citizens trapped on a falling world, the Reach sent a envoy, to offer surrender. Seeing that defeat was all but certain, and hoping to avoid a catastrophic loss of life, the remaining members of the Colonial Government agreed to surrender. Laying down their arms, the last organised resistance ended their struggle. Tiamat had fallen. Invasion of Nieuwe Batavia Commonwealth With Tiamat captured, the forces under the Charnubal Reach began planning the invasion of the Nieuwe Batavia Commonwealth. The NBC has a substantial force, but was scattered across three worlds. The attackers knew they had to take all three worlds before they could rally and receive reinforcements. This was done by a concentrated attack across all three systems. The bulk of the Charnubal forces attacked the northern most system of Maastricht, launching a blistering attack on the colony, focusing on a quick capture, but in the process destroying much of the colonial infrastructure, but ensuring the world fell quickly. The eight patrol ships protecting the system took heavy casualties, but under orders retreated to Robyn's World. The world fell with a token defence, the orbital bombardment being serious enough to convince the defenders to surrender under fear that they’d be glassed. At the capital world of Nieuwe Batavia, they were assaulted by the bulk of the vassal forces, with the attack including the Ash Lords, Atraxan Suns, and Arcix Raiders, and bolstered by the Serpent Kin Clan. The attack was a difficult affair, as their forces lacked heavy ships, and instead was mostly escorted. Facing nine NBC ships, the instead focused on a multi-pronged attack to wear them down and out flank them. The desperate fleet action ended surviving ships escorting evacuation ships. The Sabbatoth Marauders repeated their previous action by raiding the evacuation points, shooting down evac ships. They then began a firefight with the Arcix Raiders over the spoils. Aside from that, the rest of the battle was a brutal affair, with the majority of the attackers focusing on looting and pillaging. Their holds were filled with slaves and plunder befor the battle had even ended. With the majority of The colony won, they overran the capital building, burning it in the ensuing battle. Lastly, at Rijnland, the Union forces entered the battle. The Twin Talon Clan led the charge, bolstered by the fourth and sixth Talon, hit their defences like a juggernaut. While most of their defences were absent, they were able to quickly surround and destroy the defences, and take out major infrastructure and transport targets. With the planet isolated and defenceless, they could attack at pleasure. The Twin Talons conducted the first attack on the planet, with the Union Talons following. They would move to occupation, while the Twin Talons would take their pick of the loot. They methodically moved street by street, house by house, locking down and securing their new territory. The provisional government, reeling from the loss of the capital, elected to surrender rather than continue fighting. Small pockets still resisted in the following days, but resistance would die down in the later months. Fall of the Walthertown Federation With the fall of the NBC, and the mop up operation of their Jiralhanae comrades in full swing, the Kig-Yar forces under Arku K'hban headed southwards, to the Walthertown Federation. The Federation had only a small military, having only a few patrol ships, and ground forces. However, their main defence came from a sophisticated network of defensive satellites that was designed to protect the planet. Armed with powerful rail guns meant to make a mess of any ship approaching, they were rightly feared. The Twin Talons saw this as little more than a speed bump. Making the initial slipspace exit outside the effective range of these guns, they bade their time. Using a captive AI won in previous conquests, they worked on breaking the software that controlled the satellites. It took a three hour brute force attack, but they breached the system, and shut them down. The sophisticated military defences has failed them. With the world near defenceless, they suffered a catastrophic defeat, with the planet falling within hours. The second world, Farragut, hastily attempted to patch the flaw in the defence satellites, hoping their world would be protected by this. Instead, the Twin Talons used their first victory to autopsy the satellite, and discover a key flaw in their programming. Following up on this, they were able to exploit this and quickly swarm the defences at Farragut with relatively little casualties. Darkening the skies above Farragut, they descended upon the ground with great fervour, capturing major targets then expanding outwards. The colony was taken quickly, and with surprisingly little bloodshed or loss. Within two days, Farragut had also fallen. Battle of Robyn’s World Anticipating the next major clash to be at Robyn's World, the military forces of the Bloc, with the exception of the Shanxi Republic, anticipating their own invasion, and the southern worlds, anticipating their own defence. A fleet of almost eighty ships gathered, preparing for a major fleet engagement. The fleet prepared for its engagement by reloading and refuelling above Robyn’s World, and deployed ground forces to dig in and protect. Three hours after their arrival, the first scouts from the Charnubal Reach fleet arrived. Heralding the arrival of the main fleet, fifth five ships arrived, and quickly moved to an echelon formation that expanded against Robyn’s World, showing the intention to pin the enemy fleet against the planet. Unknown to the defending fleet, squadrons of vessels from the Atraxan Suns and Arcix Marauders moved behind the planet At 0203 local time, the main fleet clash began. While out numbering the enemy, the Bloc fleet was mostly escorts, with most being outdated as well. However, the fleet managed to meet the enemy on equal terms, holding them back, and inflicting some casualties. Maintaining arms length, they were able to bring their big guns to bear on the enemy continuously. However, the Tide was turned by the enemy squadrons swinging around the planet behind them. Suddenly caught from behind, their formation fell into disarray. They attempted to reorganise their formation as enemy escorts weaved between them. However, the main fleet pressed their assault, managing to clear out the enemy. What was a tense sniper battle turned into brutal trench warfare, with the Bloc ships suffering under punishing close quarters fire, plasma torpedoes punching through armour, and pulse lasers cutting away at armour. A few ships broke the encirclement, escaping to retreat to a rally point in the Abraxes Alliance. This was to be short lived, though. After six hours, the fleet battle ended with the Bloc fleet being totally annihilated. The ground invasion was different from prior attacks, more as an experiment in tactics rather than an actual strategic decision. Rather than a directed attack against multiple targets, they launched a single sledgehammer attack that cut straight through their main defences outside the capital. Establishing a massive foothold, they expanded outwards in all directions, crushing enemy resistance. They gradually took over the capital city, and repeated similar strikes other cities and towns. Despite heavy resistance, combined armoured strikes and air assaults managed to overrun defensive positions. Clashes between armoured units in urban environments usually went to the Reach forces, who relied on superior numbers to swarm and destroy armoured units, sometimes in hand to hand combat. The surviving forces enacted a last stand at the second city, attempting to hold their ground, but between an ever creeping encirclement, and mounting casualties, they gave up and surrendered. During the mop up, the Sabbatoth Marauders again swooped in, attacking allies in order to seize loot. Sick of these actions, Chieftain Charanus, of the Charnubal Reach, launched an attack on the Marauders and captured three of their warships. Holding these ships, and their crew, hostage, they forced terms upon the Marauders, who accepted these begrudgingly. Having tamed their allies, they prepared for their next major incursion. Capitulation With a looming invasion on their doorstep, the Arrandale Free Traders took a novel approach. They asked the enemy to come to the negotiating table. Presenting to them why they would be of aid to them, offering their trade links, financial institutions, support, and anything else. K'hban mulled over their offer, and after some further haggling, they agreed to their terms. Within 24 hours, Union warships were docking on their orbital station, and Kig—Yar troops marching through their streets. They actually profited from it, supplying their ships, and acting as a nexus for the slavery trade about to boom in the sector. Now their neighbours were those endanger. The Returik Trader Coalition was a colony of Kig-Yar and Humans. Under threat of Union Invasion, they initially decided to fight to the end. Elements of the government, more sympathetic to the Union, instead elected to stage a coup d’etat. Calling themselves the Returik Restoration Party, they stormed government buildings with armed forces, taking over several ministry buildings overnight. Now holding the government prisoner, and in control of the government. They bartered directly with Arku K'hban, organising their entry into the Union. It was finalised. Now the Union had claimed two sectors in three days, without having to fire a single shot. Invasion of Abraxes Alliance While the battle of Robyn’s World was raging, an invasion took place to cut them off. At Centralia, the outer world of the Abraxes Alliance, a splinter force of Jiralhanae forces attacked. Forces belonging to the Ash Lords and Serpent Kin attacked, cutting through with almost zero resistance. There were only two patrol vessels, both of which evacuated without firing a shot, and were chased down. The invasion met token resistance, with few people in the Alliance having a stomach for a fight. They took the colony’s fuel facilities early, and everything else was token for them, bombarding any resistance to oblivion. The Abraxes Alliance’s council met for an emergency briefing. Having seen the Arrandale Free Traders surrender and switch sides, they felt that may have been their only recourse to protect their peaceful way of life. The Council contacted the attacking forces and presented their surrender. The commanding Chieftains howled with laughter at them, but accepted it nonetheless. They landed in the capital, and immediately began looting nd pillaging in a barely restrained slaughter. It became clear they did not wish to peacefully occupy the Alliance, but only wanted their two major resources. Fuel, and potential slaves. The third planet in the Alliance soon followed. The Abraxes Alliance had fallen quickly and only served to fuel the ever quickening demise of the Coalition Bloc. Cut off from vital fuel, defeat loomed ever closer. Betrayal With the loss of the Abraxes Alliance, the situation was looking increasingly grim for the Shanxi Republic. They had the largest surviving navy, behind the Lusitania Republic, but were in the process of being gradually surrounded. However, they still had a life line in the form of the Navak Compact. A Kig-Yar world, the Navak Compact was prized for their merchantile knowledge. However, they had suffered, losing almost half of their merchant fleet to piracy during the conflict. With a situation that was increasingly grim, rather than face the might of the attackers, they instead opted to meet them in secret negotiations. After coming to a favourable agreement, they allowed Union vessels to occupy their orbital installations and military outposts, then officially announced them joining the Union. Suddenly, the Shanxi Republic’s last line of support dried up. They were truely cut off from their allies, and were now prime targets for invasion. Invasion of the Shanxi Republic With Shanxi totally cut off, the combined Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar forces began to chip away Republic. From the galactic east, the forces of the Atraxan Suns and Sabbatoth Marauders began their invasion of Yuncheng. With most defences pulled away to the capital, the planet was mostly unprotected. Rather than the typical butchery they’d become accustomed to, they landed with the intent of occupying the colony and taking control quickly. There was still pockets of resistance, but the colony was largely seized within 24 hours. The Union’s 11th Talon moved to Taiyuan, in a lightning fast attack that resulted in the first landing craft making it to the surface before the evacuation had even been sounded. Learning from their past experience, they seized major infrastructure links, and government building, and occupied the colony quickly. With the Noose growing tighter on the capital, the Shanxi military devised a desperate plan to survive. Shanxi Breakout Faced with a desperate situation, the Shanxi Republic military decided on a desperate plan. Organising a break out, alongside the Lusitania Republic, they crammed as many evacuees onto civilian ships. Then broke their military fleet in three. Small squadrons would defend Chengdu and Datong respectively, while the main fleet would rendezvous with the Lusitania Fleet in the Abraxes system. Knowing the attack would be incredibly risky, they nonetheless began to pile resources into it. With as many ships packed as possible, they launched their attack. Admiral Huazhi lead the main fleet, escorting a long trail of civilian ships. However, unknown to both sides, their communications had been intercepted. Unknown to the Bloc allies, the Ash Lords had captured a Shanxi warship and had access to their encrypted communication. Knowing their plans, they passed this information onto the main fleet, who prepared to stage an ambush in the Abraxes system. Both Bloc fleets jumped in simultaneously, and found only a token occupation force. Sensing this was their time to strike, both fleets moved to their rendezvous at the outer moon of Abraxes Prime. This is when the Reach fleet made their attack. At the rendezvous, they moved out from behind the moon, on each side, surrounding the Bloc fleet. Caught in an ambush, they had to break the encirclement, and quickly. A breakdown in communication meant the Lustantian Fleet broke out in the direction of the jump point to their home systems, and the Shanxi fleet attempted to break out towards Shanxi. The encirclement was a brutal firefight, with fire exchanged between ships at close ranged, and burning vessels from both sides falling into gravity of the moon. The Reach fleet intentionally targeted the civilian vessels with boarding craft, hoping to seize them for slaves. In the next three hours, the Bloc fleet was annihilated, with only a few vessels escaping. The break out failed miserably. Battle at Chengdu As the Breakout operation at Abraxes raged, the rear guard action at Chengdu commenced. Commodore Florence Vega, onboard the modified Command Destroyer Azure Dragon met the Ash Lord offensive at Chengdu. Maintaining orbit of the planet, they stayed above the planet’s mineral ring, spreading out the cdestroyer squadron at the front, and their frigate squadron formed to their rear. In an effort to blow through in preparation for a major battle at Shanxi, the Ash Lords sent several squadrons of escorts, alongside some Marauder vessels, anticipating the outnumbered defenders would be easy prey. Seeing the enemy fleet position, the commanding Chieftain met them in an opposing position, moving parallel to the ring. They suspected the Shanxi fleet may attempt to ambush them, and used the ring to prevent ambush from above. This went exactly to Commodore Vega’s plan. Planted in the ring were improvised mines, using nuclear mining charges to turn the ring into a sharped charge. With the enemy fleet in position, they detonated the mines. A conflagration of nuclear fire and stellar debris consumed the Jiralhanae fleet. In an instant, two-thirds of the enemy fleet was destroyed. Suddenly rendered leaderless and vulnerable, the Jiralhanae fleet went into total disarray. With the enemy weakened, Commodore Vega declared her charge, smashing into the enemy fleet with her own. Even after her manoeuvre, she still suffered 50% casualties. Despite being out numbered, she achieved victory, routing or destroying the remaining enemy vessels and securing Chengdu. The remaining vessels began evacuation procedures, fearing enemy reinforcement. At the same time as this, the leaderless elements of the main fleet retreated to Shanxi. Similarly, at Datong, a small rearguard was trying to hold the Union offensive. Hopelessly outnumbered by fresh Kig-Yar forces, they fought a bitter battle in order to try and hold down their territory. The battle had been drawn out into a 3 day engagement, but was ultimately a loss. Two ships managed to disengage and escape, but Datong was assaulted. The drawn out engagement on the surface bought time for the fleet to rally at Shanxi, but was unltimately a loss. The Twin Talons also began to attack the outer Lusitanian colonies, beginning a series of skirmishes and attacks intended to bleed them dry before the final attack. Retreat to Shanxi With the remaining Shanxi forces in full retreat, they regrouped at the capital. After two crushing defeats, they were reduced to a fragment of their strength. They possessed nine destroyers, eleven frigates, three cruisers, though one was heavily damaged, and a converted carrier. Prepared for a last stand, they began to improvise orbital defences, and dig in on the ground, under the command of now Admiral Vega. After their retreat, both the Datong and Chengdu had fallen, with Chengdu suffering under heavy ground invasion. Frustrated at their embarrassing loss over Chengdu, the Sabbatoth Marauders marshalled all their forces for a single, all out attack on Shanxi. Taking four cruisers and sixteen escorts, they rushed ahead while the Ash Lords occupied Chengdu. Dropping out of slipspace outside the effective range of the Shanxi fleet. Approaching at high speed, they used the cruisers as cover to shield the escorts, safe in the feeling that their shielding could punishment necessary to close in. Admiral Vega, still commanding from the Azure Dragon, had anticipated a frustrated enemy might launch a reckless attack to make use of superior strength. To counter this, the damaged Marathon-class Cruiser, Sun-Tzu, was converted into a fireship. With it’s MAC irrevocably damaged during the escape from Abraxes, it was installed with appliqué armour on the front, stripped from other damaged vessels, loaded additional engineers and loaded it with missiles. As the enemy fleet approached, they intentionally began a Wildcat destabilisation of the reactor. Because it would be impossible to steer the ship remotely, with time lag increasing over distance, they kept a small manned crew of volunteers. Fired into the enemy fleet like a rocket, their appliqué armour weathered the necessary hits. Steered for an intercept course with the enemy’s lead ship, they fired off their entire reserve of missiles, choking the enemy point defence systems and drawing their fire. With the target in striking distance, they rammed into the CCS-class Battlecruiser Eternal Violence, and drove its reactors to the point of destruction. The ensuing explosion utterly annihilated the lead ship, as well as two more cruisers, and damaged a furth six escorts. With the attacking force in massive disarray, the defenders launched a counter-attack, following up on the fireship with an all-out attack. Pulverising them with fire, they annihilated the confused Marauders with ease. A few escorts slipped away in the confusion to evacuate, but the Marauders suffered such serious casualties that they were knocked out for the rest of the campaign. With a second victory under her belt, the Shanxi navy was riding high. But Admiral Vega knew this wouldn’t last. Invasion of the Veles System With the victory over the combined Shanxi/Lusitania fleet, the Charnubal Reach used this momentum to push into the Veles System. A combined force of the Arcix Raiders, Atraxan Suns, and Serpent Kin Clan attacked the Veles System. Home to both the Veles People’s State, and the Outer Veles Polity, they used this divided nature to quickly blast through the orbital defences of Veles and began a brutal ground assault. The Outer System was mostly ignored, and instead elected to contain them. A force from the Arcix Raiders burst right through aiming to chase down the remnants of the Lusitanian fleet. At Veles, the initial landings had been successful, with Jiralhanae forces taking much of the capital, including the People’s Palace. However, they underestimated the nationalistic zeal of the Velites. They soon launched a counter attack, throwing themselves at the Jiralhanae positions in a fervour. Despite zeal and numbers, they were unable to take back their lost ground, and the battle to take back the People’s Palace turned it into ruins. Changing hands several times, it eventually fell for the last time during a fierce Jiralhanae assault. In desperation, the People’s Army began constructing improvised nuclear devices, and using them in suicidal attacks to throw them back. The capital was torn apart by several nuclear detonations, as well as smaller cities being damaged by nuclear attack. Despite this, fighting continued for another two weeks. When the fighting finally ended, almost a third of the colonists had been killed. However, despite the fall of Veles, the system was not secured. The Outer Veles Polity was a collection of asteroid havens built into the asteroid ring in the System. Dug in deep, in dangerous terrain, they held the advantage. Attempts to find them, and route them out, were mostly unsuccessful, resulting in increasing casualties for the Reach forces. This guerilla war would rage for months, with knife fights between vessels in a clustered mass of asteroids, and claustrophobic boarding actions. This battle would continue until the end of the war, when the last pockets surrendered. The Veles System fell mostly under their control, and allowed them to attack the Lusitania Republic directly. Fall of Shanxi With two humiliating defeats, the Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar forces combined to form an offensive against Shanxi. Depleted, low on supplies, and with only a few warships, most of which bore some kind of damage, the situation was desperate. The Kig-Yar 4th Talon was the first to arrive, taking a position close to the second moon of Shanxi. The Ash Lord arrived and held a similar long distance position, waiting for a moment to attack. The Charnubal Reach jumped in and opened the assault with a wave of fighters and escorts. Taking a staggered formation, with their destroyers at the front line, and cruisers behind, they weathered the first assault, but at a cost of one cruiser being disabled, and three destroyers lost. With a sudden attack from behind by the 4th Talon, they were forced to abandon the stricken cruiser and tighten their formation, using thei Frigates to blunt the Kig-Yar raiders, taking out a number of their escorts, and damage several more before they were forced to disengage. Having lost half their number through cut and run attacks, the Ash Lord force made their presence known. Still smarting from their previous defeat at the hands of then-Commodore Vega, they committed an all out attack. The damaged cruiser, Dao, was immediately destroyed by concentrated plasma torpedo fire. Cutting straight into their formation, they threw the Shanxi fleet into disarray. As they tried to reorganise, the Ash Lord fleet began to move to boarding actions, rather than annihilating the enemy. The Phoenix-class, Fenghuang, was the first fall victim to this tactic. Two escorts pummelled it with fire at short range, then rammed into it. While the damaged caused to themselves was modest, it meant Rangers could jump directly onto the enemy ship and cut into its hull. Likewise, boarding craft bolted onto the hull and cut in. Breaching the ship, they turned the interior into a claustrophobic war zone, desperate and bloody battles fought between corridor, vents, bulk heads, and hangars. Securing the bridge and engine, the ship disengaged and was flown into the Ash Lords lines, now their bounty. Their final cruiser was also boarded, though it suffered catastrophic damage and fell into Shanxi’s gravity. As it tumbled and broke apart, the boarders and crew still fought to the death. Realising they were aiming to capture them, rather than outright destroy them, Admiral Vega intended to make the enemy pay. Reorganising her battle lines, her aim was to knock out their vessels as they blindly searched for her Command vessel. However, using intelligence pulled from the Fenghuang, even as it was in the process of being captured, they determined the location of the enemy commander. Using their heaviest cruiser, they punched straight through their main formation, literally, crushing one ship through ramming alone. Now directly in the middle of the Shanxi formation, they used crude tethers to fire hooks onto the enemy and reel them in. Precision pulse laser shots gutted the main engines and damaged the reactor, rendering it inert. With the ship otherwise disabled, it was now a prime target for boarding. Warriors from the Ash Lords cut through the outer hull and began boarding operations, sparking intense firefights inside the Azure Dragon. The battle waged on, tearing great rents in the hull, internal fires raging through the ship. Eventually the Jiralhanae boarders emerged victorious, and with their prize. Admiral Vega was captured and dragged back to the Ash Lord’s flagship as a battle trophy. The rest of the crew were slaughtered or captured themselves. Once they had their prize, they released the Azure Dragon, and blasted the remains. After Vega’s capture, the remains of the Shanxi fleet lost total cohesiveness. The few remaining ships broke formation, and were destroyed shortly after, or boarded and captured as prizes. The naval battle wrapped up within the Ash Lords, too worn by the battle, left the invasion to the Charnubal main fleet. Meanwhile, the Union forces began invasion as well. With the space battle over, the capital came under intense ground invasion. Fearful of heavy ground defences, they opened the battle with intense orbital bombardment, flattening city blocks with plasma fire rather than risk a dangerous landing. The first major landings took place with Charnubal forces, launching a drop pod assault on the outskirts of the capital. Already highly demoralised, the Shanxi republic defenders were unable to organise any major resistance, even with a chain of command and communications still functioning. A small armoured unit managed to meet, and destroy the main thrust of their advance by sheer chance, taking on and destroying several infantry lances in short range fire fights. Two air squadrons of VTOL gunships also served as over watch, managing to hold against enemy ground attacks, while remaining air defences tried to maintain a protection against enemy air attack. Despite the shock of the initial attack, the defenders were actually starting to rally. A major advance against the eastern block of the city, from the enemy's temporary head quarters in the warehouse district was knocked back, and their head quarters suffered artillery attack. Invasion of Lusitania Republic The attack begins in earnest. Two worlds fall, and then the Republic is cut off. HUC breaks away Xerxes Breakout Attempts to break out of the Xerxes sector. Breakout fails Fall of Lusitania Aftermath The war was entirely one sided. The Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar forces, directly or indirectly sponsored by state forces, utterly steam rolled the Bloc. While attempts had been made during the mid stages to mount a counter-offensive, it was too late to prevent the end of the war. Ongoing resistance and guerilla conflict would cease by the close of the next year. No less that 18 worlds were captured, being claimed by the captors in victory. The Navak Compact and Arrandale Free Traders having changed sides during the war, to varying degrees of success. The Returik Trader Coalition suffered a coup d'etat and the new ruling party aligned themselves with the invading Kig-Yar forces. Of the remaining worlds, only the Hibernia United Colonies remained free at the war's end, by leaving the Bloc and joining the larger Frontier Coalition, although this was more a stay of execution, since they would be conquered during the War of the Confederacy. With the Bloc gone the Confederacy came closer to controlling the Frontier. Major space links between Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar space were seized, and forward staging areas established for attacks further afield. These worlds would, in time, service the war machine of the Confederacy, helping them conquer further colonies.